11th » Deep Blue (chess computer) Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the Deep Blue – Kasparov, 1997, Game 6 last game of the rematch, becoming the first chess computer computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic m
15th » The United States government acknowledges the existence of the Laotian Civil War e.g "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong people named Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.
16th » Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
17th » Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
19th » The Sierra Gorda biosphere, the most Ecosystem diversity named ecologically diverse region in Mexico, is established as a result of grassroots efforts.
25th » A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koromah.
27th » The unusual 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak called tornado outbreak in Jarrell, Texas.
27th » The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Paula Jones can pursue her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton while he is in office.
31st » Milka-Emilia Pasanen, Finnish tennis player
Famous Deaths for May 1997
1st » Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1927)
2nd » John Eccles (neurophysiologist) called John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine e.g Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
2nd » Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and educator (b. 1921)
3rd » Sébastien Enjolras, French race car driver (b. 1976)
3rd » Narciso Yepes, Spanish guitarist (b. 1927)
5th » Walter Gotell, German-English actor (b. 1924)
9th » Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (b. 1926)
9th » Marco Ferreri, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
9th » Rina Lasnier, Canadian poet (b. 1915)
10th » Joan Weston, American roller derby skater (b. 1935)
11th » Ernie Fields, American trombonist, pianist, and bandleader (b. 1905)
14th » Harry Blackstone, Jr., American magician and author (b. 1934)
14th » Boris Parsadanian, Armenian-Estonian composer (b. 1925)
16th » Elbridge Durbrow, American diplomat (b. 1903)
17th » James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (b. 1905)
18th » Bridgette Andersen, American actress (b. 1975)
22nd » Alfred Hershey, American biochemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine or Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
22nd » Renzo Montagnani, Italian actor (b. 1930)
23rd » Frances E. Nealy, American actress (b. 1918)
24th » Edward Mulhare, Irish-American actor (b. 1923)
26th » Ralph Horween, American football player and coach (b. 1896)
29th » Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gods and Monsters (band) e.g Gods and Monsters) (b. 1966)
29th » George Fenneman, Chinese-American radio and television announcer (b. 1919)